


Slow Motion

by trenzawhor



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe, Angst, F/M, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-10
Updated: 2015-05-10
Packaged: 2018-03-29 20:44:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,019
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3910039
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/trenzawhor/pseuds/trenzawhor
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They say that before you die, your life flashes before your eyes.<br/>I'd given this concept a fair amount of thought, but as much as I'd wondered how exactly my years would be presented to me, I never really thought about what would be in them.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Slow Motion

They say that before you die, your life flashes before your eyes.

I'd given this concept a fair amount of thought. I'd wondered if it meant you saw your life, from birth up until that moment, sped up like you were fast-forwarding a movie. Or maybe it would be still images, things that seemed small but really had a large impact on you, flipping past like Polaroids. Would you have to re-live the bad things, or is it only the good moments? Can you choose what you see, or is it random? 

As much as I'd wondered how exactly my years would be presented to me, I never really thought about what would be in them.

 

__

I can see my breath as I step out of the front door. It's well below the freezing point, but I haven't even put my coat on yet. I'm late enough as it is and the car's only a few feet away. 

I bounce on the balls of my feet, trying to lock the door, which is hard because my fingers are already frozen. I finally manage and then jog to my car, sliding a bit on the ice. 

After getting in and starting the engine, I sit for a minute with the heat on blast, trying to warm up my hands. I watch the clock on the dashboard and sigh. There really is no hope for being punctual now. Then again it means I won't have to look ridiculous crouching under a table, and that I'll have more time to talk to him. I'm sure I'll be fending people off all night.

That thought makes me roll my eyes. Niall's going to love this. Being the center of attention is as close as he can get to heaven. Coming from such a small town means that anyone who makes it out is a hero. But I'm happy for him. I was the first person he told when the record label decided to offer him a contract. I orchestrated this whole surprise party for him, but it was hell trying to keep it a secret. That's the problem with being friends with someone you've known for most of your life; they know when you're lying.

By the time that I back down the drive way, it's started to snow. Not heavily, but light little flurries falling through the air. The flakes reflect in my head lights, and I can already tell that by the time the party's over, the ground will be covered. 

I'm not as late as I'd thought- with any luck I'll be walking in right behind Niall. I'm sure he won't immediately notice my absence anyway, not with everyone there. My stomach twists a little with that thought. He'd be the first person I'd look for. 

The snow has gotten worse – funnily enough, I didn't know it was supposed to snow at all- and by the time I've gotten to the main roads, my windshield wipers are working overtime. I know the road to the bar off by heart from years of late night escapades- and it being the only suitable place in town for a party, so I'm not exactly anxious about getting there. I'm more worried about the other people on the road. Our little town doesn't exactly get an abundance of snow, and people tend to over react when there's inclement weather. 

As I take the last turn to get to the bar, something rattles to the right of me. I look down and see a rogue water bottle rolling along the floor. I glance back up at the road and debate trying to pick it up. But I'm almost there and it doesn't look like it's about to fly under my feet, so I leave it. I don't want to risk my life for a piece of plastic. I give it one last look and make a promise to clean up better. 

I'm just turning back to the road when I see the break lights on the truck in front of me.

Everything slows down.

I hit the breaks.

 

_

 

I couldn't make my feet move. I stood in the hallway outside of my English class, watching him kiss another girl. Niall was right there, glancing back and forth between them and me, watching as I tried to keep a straight face. 

“Hey, forget him. If he can't see what he's missing, then he's not worth your time.” 

I nodded, biting my lip as he rubbed circles onto my back and ushered me into class. I don't recall the rest of that day, but I can still feel his arms around me as I sobbed into his chest, sitting on my front porch and thinking that the world was ending.

_

 

The tires screech against the icy road.

 

_

 

The dread I felt at having to address the class was astounding for a six year old. I knew my turn was coming, and when the teacher asked what I'd like to share about myself, I promptly burst into tears. 

As a teacher, she was used to this sort of thing, but everyone else looked at me like crying was lethal, which just furthered my hysterics. 

Except Niall. 

When we lined up for lunch hour the rest of my classmates skirted around me, but he ran right up next to me and grabbed my hand. The shock of it stopped my sniffling for a moment, and I stared at him, wide eyed and unblinking.

“I'm Niall.” He announced, with a crooked grin. “Let's sit together.”

_

 

I pull hard on the steering wheel.

_

 

I stood next to my bed looking at Niall, who was sprawled face down across my duvet. 

“So...” I hedged. “How'd it go?”

He mumbled something intelligible, shaking his head back and forth.

“Come on,” I pushed on his side until he moved enough so that I could clamber up on the bed. “What happened.”

He stayed still for a second, and then pulled himself up, clutching a pillow to his chest. “They didn't like my sound. Said I needed to find my voice before I can make a record.” He frowned. “I don't know what to do.”

“They must be stupid. How could they not have signed you on the spot?” I asked, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. He leaned into me, burying his face in the crook of my neck. The feeling of his breath fanning across my collar bones sent a shiver down my spine that I had to work to repress. This was Niall. I couldn't feel... that.

I was so caught up in my own thoughts that I missed what he was saying. “What?”

“I said thanks, but maybe I'm not cut out for this. I-I just can't see myself doing anything else. What happens if I never make it?”

“You will.” I said simply. “I know it.”

 

_

 

My car fishtails, spinning across the lane.

 

_

 

“Do you think there's such a thing as soul mates? Like somewhere out there, there's this perfect person for you?”

“Huh... I'd like to. I don't fancy being alone forever.”

“I just, I don't know. What are the chances you'd even find them? And if you did, how would you know?”

“You'd know.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. It would be a gut feeling. Like even when you're fighting you know that it's going to be okay. They'd always be there, no matter what.”

 

_

 

I can hear the sound of squealing tires and car horns and everything is whipping past so quickly that the world is a blur of headlights and falling snow.

_

 

“This one's for the birthday girl!” Niall shouted from the microphone, swaying slightly. “Love ya.” He winked.

I could tell what everyone was thinking from the looks I got, but I kept my eyes on him, grinning like a fool as he started to play the opening chords to Maroon 5's “She Will Be Loved”.

“Beauty Queen of only.. EIGHTEEN!” Everyone shouted along with him as he pointed to me, but quieted back down to listen once more. 

I lost him after the song was over, but he crept up behind me some time later, asking to steal me away from my friends for a moment. 

“Sorry.” He looked a little sheepish. “I just wanted to give you your present in private.” 

“You already sang, I thought-”

“That was only part of it. Here.” He handed me a little box wrapped in silver paper. 

I ripped the wrapping paper off, staring at the contents of the box uncomprehendingly. “What.. How? These were sold out!”

“I pulled some strings. If you can't go that weekend, I can-”

“No, it's prefect.” I threw myself at him, almost knocking him over in the process. “Thank you. Really.” I clutched the tickets in my hand, tearing up. I had to take a deep breath before I stepped back. “So are you ready for this?” I gestured to them.

“Me? I thought you might want to take someone else... You want to go with me?” 

“Of course I do.”

_

 

Everything goes completely black.

 

_

 

“Where are we gonna be in ten years?”

“Dunno. Not here, hopefully.”

“What do you mean?”

“By that time, I think we'll have done something. Gotten out of here. Actually live.”

“Oh.” 

“What'd you think I meant?”

“I thought... You meant, like, you wouldn't want to be here. As in, a moment like now. With me.”

“I'll always want to have moments like this with you.”

_

 

I can't tell if it's the fact that the world has stopped spinning, or the tapping on the drivers side window that finally gets through to me. For a minute I'm disoriented, but I manage to press the button and roll down the window, letting the icy air in. 

“Are you alright?” It's an older man, probably in his fifties, peering concernedly at me through the half open window.

I take a second to self assess, my heart still pounding away at my rib cage. “Y-Yeah. I'm okay.” And that's when I start laughing.

The look he's giving me now is more alarmed than anything else, but I'm so relieved to be okay that I don't mind how crazy I must look. 

The next half an hour is filled with police and ambulances. Although I say I'm fine they insist on an examination, and other than a large bump behind my ear, they deem me stable. In fact, miraculously, even my car is unscathed. Since no one was hurt, we get off with a small lecture about driving in winter conditions and the hazards of not maintaining a proper following distance. 

I nod along, trying for rapt attention, but my mind just isn't there. 

It's with Niall. 

So the moment they let us go, I carefully make my way across the intersection to the bar, parking in one of the last spaces available.

The lights of the bar are dim, and it takes a moment for my eyes to adjust, but I'm already looking for Niall. I spot him talking to a group of our friends, and walk over.

“Hey!” He yells when he sees me. “Where've you been? Mark said this was all your idea, but then no one could get a hold of you.”

But I don't respond. I just reach for him, placing my arms around his neck and kissing him. He doesn't respond, doesn't kiss me back, and for a heart stopping second I think that I've made the worst mistake.

I start to step back, apologies and excuses already forming on my tongue, when he puts his hands on my waist and pulls me towards him. 

And then we're kissing and it's as easy an natural as breathing. I can hear my pulse roaring in my ears, but then I realize that it's actually people cheering. There are chorus' of “Finally!” and “It's about damn time” From everyone around us, and when we do break apart, neither of us can look away from the other.

And for the second time that night, everything slows down.


End file.
